Change of Seasons
by Query
Summary: Winter has ended and with the spring comes new opportunities. Part 3 of the Jade Tiger Triad series.
1. Spring

These stories are set in Gotham City. The character Dee Lemma/Xiaohu/Query, as well as the entire Jade Tiger Triad is the sole creation of me. Unauthorized use of my characters is not allowed. All other characters (Batman, The Riddler, and all other DC created Gothamites) are property of DC Comics.   
  
The Jade Tiger Triad series is Dee Lemma's origin series.   
  


~ ~ ~

  
  
It was spring now. Dee sat on the roof of a newspaper stand slurping down a recently acquired meal of chow mien and sweet and sour pork. The warm drizzle that fell on her did not bother her. March had been a terrible month for her with barely anyone out on the streets. The driving rains and storms had kept tourists away, leaving her back to scrounging what she could and shoplifting more than she cared to. The meal she ate now was one of the few decent ones she had had in a long time. A week ago she had managed to steal a bag of steamed pork buns from family of tourists. Those hadn't lasted very long after sharing them with her new feline friends, one of who was nursing a litter of kittens.  
  
"Well, Dee," she said to herself, "you'd best start looking for dinner."  
  
Placing the empty containers and used chopsticks back in the bag she tossed it off the roof and into a trashcan. Stretching she felt the pleasantness of warm food in her belly and suddenly felt drowsy. Knowing it was more important for her to find food than to sleep she forced herself off the roof and back onto the streets.  
  
As she walked by the markets and curios, the hum of the shopkeepers speaking in Chinese buzzed in her head. She smiled, grateful she had managed to pick up enough to know understand some, if not all of a conversation. When they mentioned "hong hai", she knew she was the subject of discussion. Many of the shopkeepers knew her by look even if they did not know her name. In exchange of a name, they had taken to calling her "hong hai" or "red girl".  
  
It was this name she heard now as she walked by one of the herb shops. The owner, a wizened old man swept the dust out of his store while chatting with the owner of the seed shop next to him.  
  
{There she goes, little red girl. Do you think she has a family?} he asked.  
  
{Doubt it. Look at her, so proud. Too proud to ask for help, to proud to beg. She wouldn't be such skin and bones if she would beg.} the woman next to him replied.  
  
{You would rather she come in and put her little hands out and ask for money? She has money. I know she does. Before the New Year she came to me for some herbs for a cough. Paid for it even though I told her she could have them.} He paused giving the last bit of dust a flip out the door. {Look at her. Those eyes are too old for one so young.}  
  
Dee had stopped and had been watching the exchange between the two. She blinked now as they watched her back.  
  
{Do you think she knows what we're saying?} the woman asked.  
  
The man gave a soft snort and waved his hand. {She's a little white child who found her way into this neighborhood less than five months ago. I don't believe she understands us any more than we understood the Americans when we first arrived.}  
  
The woman nodded, not quite listening to the old man. She watched as the little girl's eyes flicked between the old man and her, then behind and into her shop. Turning to see if she could figure out what the child was looking at, she smiled. Arranged right behind her was a colorful display of candied lotus seeds and coconut shreds. The woman picked up a small box and held it out to the girl.  
  
"Would you like one?" the woman asked tilting her head.  
  
"I don't have any money," Dee replied.  
  
Stepping into the light drizzle, the woman crouched before Dee and pressed the plastic box into her hand. "You may have it. Consider it a happy spring present, hm?"  
  
Dee began to tremble and could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip as she stared at the little box of sweets then looked up at the smiling woman. "Duo xie!" she said quickly before turning and running like a scared animal.  
  
A smug smile on her face, the woman turned to the old man. {She has manners. And, old man, she understands more than you think! Perhaps if you learned to smile once in a while she wouldn't have run off like that.}  
  
The old man snorted in amusement. {Perhaps you will learn some manners yourself and respect your elders!}  
  


~ ~ ~

She hadn't wanted to take the box from the woman. Had the woman not pressed it on her she would not have. Taking handouts made her feel like a charity case, a feeling that she hated. Dee had prided herself that she was not like the other homeless children who she saw shamelessly sitting on a corner trying to look as pathetic as possible and asking for money. The money usually went to them buying useless items that could do nothing for them on the street. Once in a while she would see them buy food with some of the money. More often than not it went to buying drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol from an "enterprising" older homeless person.  
  
Squeezing through the window, she hurried over to her bed, pulling off her wet sweater in exchange for a dry one. Her tears had started the second she was through the window. Wrapped in her blanket of tied together sweaters, she rocked back and forth looking at the box. People had offered her things in the past, but never insisted that she took the item. Usually the person would push it toward her, not wanting to get too close and then say something derogatory in Chinese about her if she reached for it. This had turned her off on accepting handouts and she stuck to her shoplifting and pick pocketing.  
  
"Get a hold of yourself, Dee!" she reprimanded. "It's just a box of candy. Not like she offered you anything like some warm clothing or a chance to have a real bath."  
  
Yet the woman had offered sincere kindness. Dee frowned. No one had been that nice to her since…She couldn't think of a time when anyone had been that nice to her. Her brow wrinkled as she lay on her side, curling around her treasure. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep comforted by the idea that perhaps not everyone out there thought of her as nothing more than a pitiful piece of street trash.   



	2. Caught

  
  
It was the end of April and the tourists had started to return. Once more the streets were filled with the hum of excited chatter in all languages. The spring storms were shorter as were the gentle drizzles that fell now and then. Clouds gave way to clear skies more often now, warming the streets with the pleasure of spring.  
  
Dee freshly washed and in decently cleaned clothing made her way onto the streets, stomach growling. It had been two days since she had last eaten more than a mouthful and she had no money. While she had made the little box of sweets last as long as possible, the treat had no chance at ever filling her up. Today she planned on getting one of those wonderful noodle soup bowls from Mr. Tang's cart. She salivated at the thought of the rich hot broth and thick noodles. Hopefully Mr. Tang would be very busy today so she could have a chance at slipping away with one of the bowls.  
  
The day was early yet and Dee had to bide her time till lunch. There was plenty of traffic in and out of the bakeries and she was able to follow a few tourists who had purchased some of the "curious" delicacies the bakeries had to offer. For her diligence she was rewarded with a still warm sweet bean bun and a couple almond cookies. Still the small amount of food barely took the edge off her hunger. But it was almost lunch and she _would_ get a bowl of soup.  
  
Mr. Tang's cart was doing very good business when she arrived. It wasn't as crowded as she would have liked, but hunger drove her on this day. At the cart with him was a woman Dee thought to be his wife. She ladled out the bowls and placed chicken, beef, or pork on top before placing them under the pick up sign.  
  
When the opportunity presented itself Dee rushed over and grabbed the closest bowl. Before she could make her escape, a hand closed over her wrist, causing her to spill hot broth on her hands and arms. She wanted to cry out in pain, however Mr. Tang cut off the chance by shaking her till she dropped the bowl.  
  
"You try steal from me?" he asked in his thick accent. "Answer me or I call cops!"  
  
Dee stood as still as she could wishing she could melt away and back to her bed. This was bad. This was very bad. If the cops came she would be taken to an orphanage, perhaps even back to Westside. She tried to think of something to say or do to change the situation.  
  
"That's it! I call cops!" Mr. Tang said, straightening to shout for someone to get the cops.  
  
"Please forgive my student. She seems to have gotten excited over the prospect of being allowed to get lunch for us today," a gentle voice said placing a hand on Dee's shoulder. She flinched, but remained silent. "She ran off before I could give her the money to pay. Please, how much for the bowl she took?"  
  
Mr. Tang looked at the newcomer with obvious distaste. He had wanted to call the cops on this girl for a long time. The problem was he had never caught her stealing from him though he was positive she did. Looking at the fine silk robes the man who had interfered wore Mr. Tang decided to make the best of the situation.  
  
"Six dollars," he said daring the man to challenge the obvious exorbitant price.  
  
"Very well," the man said handing over the cash. "Again, I apologize. Come. Let's go find our lunch elsewhere." With that the man bowed to Mr. Tang and led Dee off, holding her hand in his.  
  
Dee was frightened and confused at what had just happened. The strange man looked at her kindly enough, yet the grip he had on her hand was iron strong. She tugged to try and free herself to no avail. Her weapon was out of reach, tucked into a hidden pocket inside her sweater and she had no chance of reaching for it before the stranger noticed.  
  
"You did not want the slop that man served. I will take you for a real lunch. Would you like that?" he asked looking down at her as they walked.  
  
He was tall and dark black hair, like most of the residents of Chinatown. His hair, however, was neatly pulled back in a queue and he wore the mustache she had heard referred to as a Fu Manchu. Soft brown eyes watched her from under thick bushy eyebrows. Though the man was obviously Chinese, his accent was not as pronounced as many of the people she had heard. His voice was soft, almost musical as was his laugh when he heard her stomach growl.  
  
"I will take that as a 'yes', little one." He said no more as he turned up the steps to a large building that looked as if it had been flown over from China. "Welcome to my home," he said stepping out of his shoes before entering.  
  
Following his example Dee quickly took her shoes off and followed him inside. Her eyes had grown as big as saucers as she looked around the inside of the main hall. The sound of a tongue clicking in disapproval turned her attention from the décor to a woman standing in the doorway to the next room. The woman looked Dee up and down shaking her head at what she saw. Dee now felt terribly out of place as the woman came hurrying over to her.  
  
"You are a mess! When was the last time you had a bath?"  
  
"Be easy, Li Mei. This is the one I was telling you about. Please take her and make certain she is presentable for lunch?" the man said.  
  
"Very well." She shook her head as she placed hands lightly on Dee's shoulders. "Come along. We have hot bath for you and clean clothing." Throwing a look over her shoulder at the man, Li Mei ushered Dee out of the entryway and off to the baths.   



	3. Lunch

  
  
Dee happily submerged herself in the hot water of the outdoor baths. Li Mei had left her with scented soaps after helping to strip off the rags that Dee wore, muttering something about putting the clothing directly into the fire. It didn't matter to Dee; the bath more than made up for loosing the clothing she had been wearing. The only thing that had bothered Dee was when Li Mei had taken away the sharpened spike after finding it in the folds of the sweater.  
  
"You will not need this anymore," she had said slipping it into her apron pocket.  
  
After scrubbing herself down three times and washing her hair twice, Dee finally felt clean for the first time in months. On the edge of the pool was a fluffy towel, which she gratefully wrapped around her body. Li Mei returned to take Dee upstairs and into a sparsely furnished room. She sat Dee on a cushion and brushed the tangles out of her lengthening hair.  
  
"I will see that you get a proper haircut tonight," the woman said.  
  
Dee only nodded. Since she had arrived she had not said a word.  
  
"Do you not know how to speak? Have you got a tongue?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," she finally said.  
  
"I suppose you're just frightened right now, hm? Don't worry. The master does not wish you any harm. Now put on the clothing I have placed on your bed. I will be back for you in five minutes."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
With a shake of her head, the woman turned and left the room, sliding the door shut behind her. Turning her head, Dee saw the clothing meant for her neatly laid out on the futon bed. Kneeling next to the bed, the towel still wrapped around her, she touched the light green silk with trembling fingertips. This couldn't be meant for her to wear; it was too nice. However, there were no other clothes laid out so she proceeded to pull on the pants and shirt. The silk was cool against her skin, but rapidly warmed. Still trembling, she attempted to slip the knot of the frogs through the loops. Li Mei came back in as Dee managed to close the final frog.  
  
"Ah! You look wonderful! Come! Come have look at yourself in the mirror!" she cried out in delight, her voice sounding like the soft ring of bells.  
  
Allowing the woman to lead her to the full-length mirror, Dee could hardly believe what she saw. Her red hair, which had always been cropped short at the orphanage, tumbled to her shoulders in soft waves. The high Mandarin neck of the shirt flattered her features and accented her slim neck. The matching pants fit her perfectly, not being too baggy as the ones she had been wearing earlier.  
  
"Come now. The master will wonder what's taken us so long," Li Mei said taking Dee's hand and pulling her back downstairs.  
  
A maid, eyes downcast, bowed and pulled open a door letting Li Mei and Dee into the dining room. A short, low table filled the center of the room with colorful cushions placed as seats. At the head of it sat the man who promptly rose upon Dee and Li Mei's entry. Li Mei held her head up and smiled proudly at the transformation she had helped perform.  
  
"Li Mei, I asked you to bring me the child I came home with today. Who is this?" the man teased with a pleasant smile on his face.  
  
"You will have to ask her that. She has not said more than 'Yes, Ma'am' to me!" Li Mei's voice was amused, yet it made Dee flinch.  
  
Bowing, Dee spoke. "Duibuiqi. My name is Dee."  
  
The man raised an eyebrow at her. {You speak Chinese?}  
  
{A little,} she replied.  
  
He smiled. "Very well, Dee. My name is Jiaoshu. Do you have a last name?"  
  
At this she frowned and wrinkled her forehead. She didn't want to tell him for fear he would laugh the way everyone else had.  
  
"Well?" he asked.  
  
"Lemma. My name is Dee Lemma," she said holding up her trembling chin, steeling herself for the laughter.  
  
Jiaoshu merely nodded. "Come and have a seat, Dee. We will have lunch together and discuss some things."   



	4. Offers

  
  
Li Mei joined them for lunch and served the food that was brought in by two other women. Dee tried to eat the food slowly, but it was the most delicious food she had ever had in her life. Jiaoshu and Li Mei exchanged smiles behind their teacups at the girl's voracious appetite. They both were happy to see the girl could use chopsticks with ease, leaving aside the fork, which had been brought in, just in case.  
  
"Slow down before you choke!" Li Mei warned taking a slice of seasoned pork from her chopsticks with delicate grace.  
  
Swallowing the mouthful she had, Dee looked abashed and murmured an apology into her rice bowl.  
  
"Do not be sorry, little one. We just wish for you to take your time and enjoy the food. No one will take it away from you and there is plenty more where this came from," Jiaoshu said kindly.  
  
Though she slowed her feasting, Dee still ate almost to the point where she felt sick. As the serving women came back in to clear the plates, she sipped the tea, feeling the warm liquid trickle down her throat and into her happily over-filled stomach.  
  
"Now that we have eaten, I would like to ask you a few questions."  
  
Oh no, she thought, the worst running through her mind. She knew she shouldn't have eaten so much. Her body felt sluggish now and even if she did try to escape she was certain she wouldn't get very far without getting a horrible cramp or throwing up.  
  
"Are you alright, Dee?" Li Mei asked leaning across the table and pushing the girl's hair from her face.  
  
"I'm ok," she lied.  
  
The man quirked an eyebrow at Li Mei, looking from the woman to the girl whose face had paled.  
  
"Dee, do you think I mean you harm? That I wish to ask you to do something improper?" Jiaoshu asked.  
  
Eyes locked on her teacup Dee's lips barely moved as she whispered, "Yes."  
  
"Dear little one, I would never harm a child or even think of using a child in that way. Buddha would not forgive me for an act so heinous." He sighed and Li Mei placed a hand over his. "Dee, I have watched you in the streets for the last two months. You've had it very hard, have you not?"  
  
Blinking back tears, Dee nodded.  
  
"I, too, came from the streets as a child. My parents were killed by sickness when I was a little boy in China. There was no one to take care of me so I ended up on the streets. That life is not so easy." Jiaoshu paused, sipping his tea as he thought over his next words. "I wish to make you an offer. You are free to take a few days to think it over and turn it down if you wish."  
  
Dee nodded her understanding.  
  
"What I wish to offer you is, not only a roof over your head, but a chance at an education. You will learn all that is taught in schools and you will learn at your own pace. I will also teach you self defense."  
  
Tilting her head, Dee looked at Jiaoshu for a minute before speaking. "Why are you offering this to me? Why not some other street kid?"  
  
"Because you are not like the others. They expect to be taken care of. You, on the other hand, chose to find your own way. The way you stalk tourists when they have food and wait for them to set it down is a very clever tactic. I have seen a few of the others try to copy this without success. They did not have the patience to wait for the people to set the bag down. Instead they tried to grab the food, which only made the tourists more wary and hurry out of Chinatown. Even when you picked pockets you did so with stealth."  
  
She nearly choked on her tea at what she heard. He saw her do all this? All this time she had thought she was being so careful, yet this man had seen her stealing all along. Coughing, she cleared her windpipe of tea before asking, "What would I have to do?"  
  
Here Li Mei chuckled behind her hand. "You said she was smart, Jiaoshu. Do not look at me as if you did not expect her to ask."  
  
"True enough, Li Mei." He turned to Dee and continued. "What I wish for you to do is to train to become a member of the Jade Tiger Triad. I cannot guarantee that you would be accepted into it, but I would hope you would. Everything you need would be provided for you from your clothing and food to anything else you might wish. From watching you on the streets I do not think I would have to teach you to be stealthy. I would also expect you to help with whatever tasks Li Mei sees fit to set you to and to do so without complaint. I will not say that it will be easy; it won't. You will not be my only student, so there will be others your age around and there will be time for you to be a child."  
  
"I understand," she said. "I can think about it, can't I?"  
  
"Of course. I do not expect you to give me an answer right away. But I do hope you will stay with us while you think about it?" Jiaoshu asked.  
  
"I can stay?" she asked.  
  
"Certainly you may stay," Li Mei said patting the girl's hand. "Besides, I said I was going to have your hair cut tonight, did I not?"  
  
"Yes. But not too much, please?"  
  
Jiaoshu and Li Mei smiled.  
  


~ ~ ~

The bed was soft and warm and it made Dee happy as she snuggled under the covers for the night. Her stomach wasn't in pain from gnawing hunger for once. Instead it was content in digesting the huge dinner she had eaten, topped off with coconut ice cream.  
  
While she lay there waiting for sleep to claim her, she considered Jiaoshu's offer. He wasn't offering or asking for anything unreasonable and she was definitely used to doing chores. She missed learning too. Certainly it wouldn't take her that long to catch up to where the other students were would it? And he had said she could go at her own pace!  
  
Smiling to herself, she hugged the soft pillow next to her and yawned. Tonight she would sleep on it and tell him her decision at breakfast.  
  


~ ~ ~

"I want to stay," she said before even sitting down to eat.  
  
Jiaoshu nodded. He had expected her to say yes. "Very well. Eat your breakfast and then you may go and collect whatever items you wish to bring with you."  
  
Dee already had in mind what she would bring; her plush cat, her file from the orphanage, and the box she had saved from the candy.   



End file.
